The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

News acorns

Council on Aging & Human Services events in May

Coming up on Fridays in May 12:30pm in Bemis Hall (see the May COA&HS newsletter for details):

  • May 9 — A Visit with Isabella Stewart Gardner
  • May 16 — Unusual Plants of Lincoln and Beyond
  • May 23 — Film: “American Sniper”
  • May 30 — Should I Stay or Should I Go? Exploring the Options (part 3)

Also at the COA&HS: a jazz concert with Jim Mazzy on Thursday, May 22 at 2:00pm in Bemis Hall.

Food Project seedling sale

The Food Project will have a seedling sale on Saturday, May 17 from 11:00am–2:00pm at its Baker Bridge Road field (90 Concord Rd, Lincoln).

Coming up at Codman Community Farms

Click on an event title for details.

Pair of Gropius House special events

Join the 2025 birthday celebration in honor of the Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius on Saturday, May 17 from 6:30-9:00pm at the Gropius House. This 60’s themed party that continues a tradition of Bauhaus design-inspired revelry will honor both the birthday of Gropius and 40 years of the Gropius House as a public museum. Hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and live music. 1960s attire or adornment is optional. Advance ticket purchase encouraged ($80 for Historic New England members, $100 for nonmembers, $35 for students with ID). Call 617-994-6651 for more information. Thank you to the event’s key sponsor and Historic New England member Mark Allen.

The Children’s Creativity Festival, a collaboration with LincFam and Historic New England, takes place on Sunday, May 18 at the Gropius House from 3:00-5:00pm. Come to an open house and a hands-on celebration featuring art, music and dance in the sprit of the Bauhaus principles of experiential learning and creativity. The event is free and open to all. Contributions to support our organizations are appreciated.

Roadway & Traffic Committee vacancy

The Select Board invites applications from residents who would like to be considered for appointment to a one-year term to the Roadway & Traffic Committee (RTC), which acts in an advisory capacity to the Select Board and Superintendent of the Department of Public Works. It works in close collaboration with the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee, which performs a separate but related role with a more concentrated focus on improving and expanding pedestrian and cyclist safety and connectivity throughout Lincoln.

Although not required, a background in planning, design and construction, project management, transportation planning, or traffic safety would be beneficial. The RTC meets about once a month in the mornings. Send a volunteer application and brief letter of interest to Peggy Elder, Select Board Administrative Assistant, at elderp@lincolntown.org by Monday, May 12.

Property tax exemption available

Seniors and low-income residents who live in Lincoln may be eligible for a Community Preservation Act tax exemption. The CPA tax is a surcharge of 3% of the property tax levied after the first $100,000 of the taxable residential assessed value of your home. Guidelines with adjusted household income limits:

  • Seniors aged 60+ — $112,630 for a single person, $128,720 for two persons; add $16,090 for each additional person.
  • Others under age 60 — $90,104 for a single person, $102,976 for two persons; add $12,872 for each additional person. For more information or to apply, please call Carlee at 781-259-8811.

Planning Board votes 4-1 to approve Plaut proposal

The three lots owned by the Plauts are outlined in blue (click to enlarge).

The Planning Board voted 4-1 last week to approve a proposal to clear-cut and replant several acres of undeveloped land between Old Winter Street and Trapelo Road.

Representatives of Timothy and Madeleine Plaut, who own three lots totaling 8.5 acres, presented a proposal in March to clear about one-third of the land, regrade part of it for a driveway, plant new native trees and shrubs, and create a meadow in preparation for building a single-family house. The board specified that “to the extent possible,” construction and delivery vehicles must enter and leave the property from the Trapelo Road side of Old Winter Street and that the applicants build a temporary turnaround for that purpose. They had originally hoped to gain temporary access from Silver Hill Road, but the Conservation Commission denied that request since the route would traverse wetlands.

In their written decision, the board also required the applicant to mark every tree six inches or larger in diameter that they intend to cut down, and to have a site visit with Planning Department staff before tree removal begins.

At the board’s April 22 meeting, member Susan Hall Mygatt voted against the proposal, arguing that the clearing and replanting portions of the proposal do not conform to Section 17.7.4a of the town zoning bylaw that says that “the landscape shall be preserved in its natural state insofar as practicable by minimizing any grade changes and vegetation and soil removal.” The plan calls for cutting down 137 mature trees and planting 268 new trees of varying sizes as well as shrubs and ground cover. 

“It’s a question of what you consider the ‘natural state’,” board co-chair Gary Taylor said. “I would consider this to be preserving the natural environment of Lincoln.”

“I don’t think it meant it should be preserved as of the date that bylaw was enacted. I’m not an originalist; I think landscapes change,” Mygatt responded. “It’s going to be beautiful, but it’s just inconsistent with the bylaw.” Also, she added, “It’s such a huge project that while I believe [the Plauts] have the vision and financial capability to pull this off, if we’re wrong, it’s one heck of a mess on that property… I just think it’s an unnecessary risk to take.”

“If I’m an abutter, this is the next best thing to [having it be] conservation land. It’s better than three McMansions,” board member Rob Ahlert said — a sentiment that was echoed by two of those abutters.

Although the board approved the plan, they also agreed that the town needs more teeth in controlling what can be done to the landscape of private property. “I think we need to revise our bylaws and come up with something about taking down trees,” co-chair Lynn DeLisi said — something that the Tree Preservation Study Group is already working on.

But others at the meeting objected more strenuously. The intent of the zoning bylaw is to “preserve the current ecosystem,” said Barbara Peskin, who envisioned “children seeing wildlife running for their lives.

“I think this is an ecological disaster,” Vicky Diadiuk said. “Property rights are not as important as the welfare of the community. We’re talking about a common resource we’re about to devastate… it’s unworthy of the town of Lincoln. Stop studying and start passing laws that protect our environment. You’ll be gone by the time you finish talking about it.”

Nancy Hammond, 1937–2025

Nancy Campbell Hammond

Nancy Campbell Hammond of Lincoln died at her home on April 23, 2025 after two years of living with cancer. She was 87.

A native of Fremont, Neb., Nancy graduated from the University of Nebraska and moved to Pasadena, Calif. There, she embarked on a diverse career of work with children that ranged from researching childhood development, to teaching deaf children, to contributing to the nascent Head Start program to working as a children’s librarian.

She met and married John Hammond in California, and together they moved to the Boston area, purchasing a fixer-upper farmhouse in Lincoln that would be their home for the next half-century. While raising their two daughters, Sarah and Kate, Nancy completed a master’s degree in children’s literature at Simmons College. Later, Nancy reviewed children’s books for the Horn Book Magazine and worked as a children’s librarian at the Maynard and Cambridge Public Libraries, introducing countless kids to the joys of books.

Nancy’s curiosity about the birds at her backyard feeder developed into a lifelong interest in birding and the environment. She and John, often with Sarah and Kate and later their grandchildren, traveled the world to see birds, wildlife, and explore other cultures. Nancy worked tirelessly to remove exotic, invasive species from the family’s eight acre property. She was an avid supporter of Drumlin Farm, Mass Audubon, the Conservation Law Foundation, and the Boston Nature Center.

Nancy was a Boston and Nebraska sports fan, a reader, a naturalist, and a cultural explorer, always trying new restaurants, museums and music happenings in the Boston area with John and sharing her finds with friends. She was wonderfully dedicated to the causes she believed in, and to her family and friends. She was independent, stubborn, loyal, and warm-hearted.

Nancy was predeceased by her husband, John, and her brother, Kent Campbell. She is survived by her sister, Mary Pedersen, her daughters Sarah (Tim) and Kate (Geoff), and four grandchildren.

Services for Nancy will be private. Interment will be at Lincoln Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please do something for the environment. Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord, which provided this obituary. To share a remembrance or offer a condolence on Nancy’s tribute page, click here.

More details on Farrington/Panetta housing and conservation proposal

A sketch of what the starter homes might look like (click to enlarge). See the April 27 Lincoln Squirrel article for more project illustrations.

The Planning Board got more details this week on the Nature Link project proposed for Page Road/Route 2 land, including information on sizes and estimated prices of the homes.

The Rural Land Foundation is asking voters at a Special Town Meeting on June 25 to approve rezoning and funding measures that would allow the town to purchase 77 acres of land now owned by the Frank Panetta Jr. Trust and Farrington Memorial. Oriole Landing developer Civico, which is providing $3.3 million of the $6.4 million total land purchase cost, hopes to build 20 tightly clustered single-family condominium homes on some of the parcel, while most of the rest will become town-owned conservation land. Farrington Nature Linc would remain as is, though with a new access road from Page Road.

To make it happen, voters must approve a change to the existing North Lincoln Overlay District for the proposed housing and another to preserve the existing Gerard’s Farm Stand on Route 2, as well as a $950,000 appropriation from the town’s Community Preservation Act fund. Another $800,000 from the City of Cambridge and $1.35 million in private donations to the RLF will round out the total.

The three houses now on the Panetta land will be razed. In addition to 17 small starter homes ranging from 1,650 to 2,000 square feet, the development will include three 4,500-square-foot homes on the southeast corner of the site. Andrew Consigli of Civico estimated that the starter homes will sell for under $1 million while the three larger homes would fetch $1.5 million to $2 million. Three of the starter homes would be income-restricted.

Because it will be a condominium complex, owners will not be allowed to make substantial changes to their homes without consent of the entire condo homeowners’ association. The RLF will have right of first refusal if Farrington Memorial ever decides to sell their parcel, which will have deed restrictions so Farrington Nature Linc can continue to operate on part of the land and “make small additions to their footprint” in the future if desired, said Geoff McGean,  Executive Director of the RLF, which is distributing this brochure touting the project.

If all goes as planned, the deal will conserve the largest remaining parcel of undeveloped and unprotected land in Lincoln. “This is the result of many, many years of negotiation,” McGean told the Planning Board. “It’s a balance of benefits, and all parties involved have made some sacrifices. I can’t emphasize enough that this is a moment in time… it’s not going to be there next year.”

The decision to propose small starter homes rather than townhouses or multifamily housing was based on economics as well as the wishes of the Panettas, Consigli said. The development is modeled after the nascent 40Y state program, though the Lincoln proposal would allow houses larger than the $1,850-square-foot state maximum.

The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on June 10. Before that will be public information sessions and site walks as well as presentations to the Conservation Commission, Community Preservation Committee, and Housing Coalition.

Each house will have a two-car garage and a small private yard, and residents will have access to a common green. “It’s going to have a very communal feel,” said Jeremy Lake of Union Studio Architecture & Community Design, which designed the Riverwalk housing in West Concord.

Planning Board member Susan Hall Mygatt was concerned that preserving the commercial farm stand alongside the housing might constitute spot zoning. Director of Planning and Land Use Paula Vaughn-Mackenzie said town counsel was reviewing the issue.

Many attendees at the April 29 meeting expressed support for the proposal. Andrew Glass, chair of the Historical Commission, noted that his group approves about half a dozen teardowns each year, and most of them are small houses. “This will help replenish a form of housing stock in Lincoln that we have seen a great decimation of in the last several decades,” he said.

Addendum

In an April 29 News Acorn item about the Lincoln Co-ed Softball League opening day, the time was omitted, as was a link to the website for more information. The full item is below, and the original post has been updated.

The Lincoln Co-ed Slow-pitch Softball League will hold an Opening Day event on Sunday, May 4 at 5:00pm at Codman Field with a casual pick-up game and a home run derby as well as contests for kids. All skill levels and awkward batting stances welcome. Equipment provided, including left-handed bats. To learn more and register for the league, click here. 

News acorns

Another Israel-Palestine film on tap

The GRALTA Foundation will sponsor two screenings of the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land” on Saturday, May 3 at 10:00am and 2:00pm, and Monday, May 5 at 7:00pm (all in Bemis Hall). Watch the trailer or click here for a review by the Guardian.

Walk Bike Roll to School Week

During Walk Bike Roll to School Week at the Lincoln School next week (May 5–9), students are encouraged to travel to and from school each day without a car and enjoy the benefits of fresh air, exercise, and an environment-friendly trip. Students who ride the bus will be dropped off at the end of Ballfield Road to walk in from there. Bike trains will leave from a few locations in town (details to follow on LincolnTalk). Click here to volunteer as a crossing guard or bike train leader

Softball league opening day

The Lincoln Co-ed Slow-pitch Softball League will hold an Opening Day event on Sunday, May 4 at 5:00pm at Codman Field with a casual pick-up game and a home run derby as well as contests for kids. All skill levels and awkward batting stances welcome. Equipment provided, including left-handed bats. To learn more and register for the league, click here. 

Screen Free Week for kids

Celebrate Screen Free Week in Lincoln in mid-May. The team at LincolnWait.com has organized a week of local activities including:

  • “Fort-Night,” where families are invited for a fun-filled night of reading, games, and making blanket forts in the library on Monday, May 12 from 6:00–8:00pm. Complete the week-long Family Reading Adventure and earn a prize!
  • Join a local walk leader from Lincoln Land Conservation Trust for a family nature walk on Tuesday, May 13 at 4:30pm. Registration required.
  • Enjoy some popsicles and bubbles on the playground at an all-ages popsicle party with LincFam on Wednesday, May 14 at 4:00pm at the blue playground near Codman Pool while supplies last.
  • Stop by Codman Community Farms all day on Thursday and Friday, May 15 and 16 to pick up your seed-starting kit with pots, seeds, soil, plant care information and a check-in journal (first come, first served).

Details and signups are at LincolnWait.com, where you can also read more about the “delay smartphone” pledge and the local chapter of the national Wait Until 8th organization. Learn more about Screen Free Week at ScreenFree.org and download resources including a 101 Activity Checklist and Screen-Free Bingo.

Jessa Piaia presents Isabella Stewart Gardner

Isabella Stewart Gardner reenactor Jessa Piaia will appear at the library on Friday, May 9 from 12:30–1:30pm in Bemis Hall. Known for her flamboyant manner and free-spirited ways, Gardner (1840–1924) became known as the first American “patroness of the arts” and her significant collection of Italian Renaissance art.

Lincoln Dems reschedule caucus

The Lincoln Democratic Town Committee (LDC) has rescheduled its caucus to elect state delegates from April 26 to Saturday, May 10 at Bemis Hall for the state convention (doors open at 9:30am and close at 10:15am). Six delegates and four alternates will represent Lincoln in Springfield on September 13. All are welcome, but only registered Democrats may vote. Youths age 16 and up, people with disabilities, people of color, veterans, and members of the LGBTQ+ community who aren’t elected as delegates or alternates are encouraged to apply at the caucus or online to be add-on delegates. Those interested in getting involved with the LDC may contact Travis Roland at travis89roland@gmail.com.

Sweetbriar stars at LOMA

Brad Meyer and Amy Lohman of Sweetbriar.

Folk duo Sweetbriar will be the headliner at the next Lincoln Open Mic Acoustic (LOMA) on Monday, May 12 from 7–10 p.m. in Bemis Hall. LOMA is a monthly open mike night event with mikes and instrumental pickups suitable for individuals or small groups playing acoustic-style. Come and perform (contact loma3re@gmail.com to sign up) or just come listen to acoustic music and spoken word. Free admission.

Town now has EV chargers

The town has installed two electric vehicle Level 3 charging stations at Town Hall through a grant from Eversource and has been approved for two more to be installed at the municipal gravel lot at Lincoln Station. To use the chargers, download the SWTCH phone app (a flyer explaining how to get started can be found here.) The fee will be 35¢ per kilowatt hour.  A vehicle may stay plugged in until it’s fully charged; at that point, the user will be notified via the SWTCH app and will have a 30-minute grace period to move the vehicle. A loitering fee will be charged after the grace period of $1.00 per minute. The town enlisted the help of Beacon Integrated Solutions to set the charging rates; see the memo here.

Legal notice: Conservation Commission public hearing

The Lincoln Conservation Commission (LCC) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 7:05pm in accordance with the MA Wetlands Protection Act and the Town of Lincoln Wetlands Protection Bylaw. This is in response to the duly filed Notice of Intent by Shruthi Bharadwaj for construction of a house addition and gravel driveway within the 100-ft Buffer Zone at 64 Trapelo Road (151-1-0). Information on how to log onto the virtual public meeting will be included in the LCC agenda posted on the town’s website at least 48 hours prior to the hearing. More information can be reviewed here.

Note that legal notices often must be posted twice by law. For previous legal notices and details on how to submit a legal notice to the Lincoln Squirrel, click here.

Read the latest issue of the Lincoln Review!

The Spring 2025 issue of the Lincoln Review is packed with artwork, poetry, and essays by Lincolnites. Note: this issue is free for everyone until Friday, May 2 — after that, you’ll need a Lincoln Squirrel subscription to access it. Email lincolnmareview@gmail.com if you’d like a paper copy. If there’s enough demand, we can have a batch printed up (each copy will be about $10).

The submission deadline for the next issue is August 1, so get your warm-weather creative juices flowing! Click here for information on submitting work.

Community center bids expected; Hartwell work begun

By Alison Taunton-Rigby
Community Center Building Committee

This has been a busy, high-energy month for the community center building project. Construction document drafts are in the final stages of review prior to publication on May 30, 2025. Bids for subcontractors are due on May 21, 2025, and bids for the general contractor will be opened on May 29, 2025.

We all recognize these are challenging, unpredictable economic times, so the Community Center Building Committee (CCBC) has worked hard to design within our budget with considerable contingency. The CCBC and Select Board have scheduled meetings in late May and early June to review the bids and approve a path forward. Assuming the bids come in on budget, we expect to sign a construction contract in June and begin work in early July.

Temporary relocation plans are complete for the occupants of the pods, who will move out as soon as the school year ends. This will free up the area occupied by the three pods for demolition and the beginning of community center construction:

Wall demolition in the Hartwell building for the maintenance shop is complete and electrical installation is ongoing, with HVAC ductwork to begin shortly.

  • The school maintenance shop will move into its new permanent home in the Hartwell building.
  • The Parks and Recreation Department offices will move into the Hartwell building, and programs will continue in school spaces and the usual locations around town.
  • The Lincoln Summer Day Camp will be entirely housed in the Lincoln School as well.
  • LEAP will move into the Smith Gym area of the school building.

Magic Garden Preschool will remain on site and will use the Strats Play area, a safe distance away from construction.The next CCBC meeting is scheduled for May 21, 2025. We welcome your comments, and questions. Please see the CCBC website for full information.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Police log for April 16–25, 2025

April 16

Tower Road (7:55am) — A two-vehicle crash occurred near the intersection of Tower Road and South Great Road. There were no injuries reported. One of the operators was cited for failing to yield at an intersection.

Weston Road (3:04pm) — An officer stood by at a small peaceful rally by the Pierce House.

April 17

South Great Road (2:26pm) — A motorist reported the railroad gates at the Rt. 117 crossing were malfunctioning. An officer responded to monitor the area. Keolis was notified.

North Great Road (1:55pm) — Several items were discovered on the side of the roadway by a Department of Transportation employee. An officer is investigating the incident.

I-95 southbound, Lexington (4:58pm) — The Lincoln Fire Department responded to the town of Lexington for a mutual aid response.

South Great Road (6:19pm) — Officers responded to the Rt. 117 railroad crossing for the report of malfunctioning gates. Officers monitored the area. Keolis was notified.

Greenridge Lane (8:06pm) — A person asked to speak with an officer regarding a civil matter.

April 18

Sandy Pond Road (5:16pm) — Several youths were advised that fishing is prohibited at the Cambridge Reservoir.

Bypass Road (5:34pm) — A person asked to speak with an officer regarding a possible fraud incident.

Minuteman National Historic Park (Visitor Center and Paul Revere lots) — Officers checked on occupied and unoccupied vehicles that were parked in the evening hours in preparation for the festivities the following day.

April 19

See “Lincoln marks 250th anniversary of “shot heard ’round the world” (Lincoln Squirrel, April 22, 2025) for a summary of police activities relating to Patriots Day weekend activities.

South Great Road (4:46pm) — A two-vehicle crash occurred close to Sweet Bay Lane. There were no injuries reported. Both vehicles were towed from the scene and one of the drivers was cited for a marked lanes violation.

April 20

South Great Road (1:54pm) — A one-vehicle crash was reported. The operator was not injured and the vehicle was towed from the scene.

April 21

Brooks Road (12:56am) — Temporary “No Parking” signs were removed from the north of town related to the Patriots’ Day weekend events.

Wells Road (8:27am) — An officer helped a resident get back to their home.

Wells Road (2:39pm) — An officer spoke to a resident regarding a civil matter.

April 22

Lexington Road (10:37am) — A caller reported a dog walking loose in the area of Lexington and Trapelo Roads.

Concord Road (1:32pm) — Wayland Police reported a vehicle had struck another and continued north on Rte. 126. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate the vehicle.

April 23

Branch St., Methuen (7:05am) — Members of the Lincoln Fire Department Dive Team were involved in an ongoing search in Methuen for a boy who fell into the Merrimack River on April 19.

Lincoln Road (11:43am) — An officer assisted drivers involved in a minor two-vehicle crash with exchanging papers.

Ballfield Road (1:08pm) — An officer spoke to two motorists regarding a traffic complaint.

Tower Road (7:28pm) — An officer spoke to a person who had been soliciting without a permit and advised them of the proper credentialing process.

April 24

Weston Road (11:15am) — An officer spoke to a resident regarding possible credit card fraud.

April 25

Trapelo Road (8:46am) — A person came to the police station to retrieve their dog that had been walking in the area without a leash.

Greenridge Lane (5:09pm — An officer spoke to an individual regarding an ongoing civil matter.

Sandy Pond Road (6:11pm) — Several people were advised fishing is prohibited at Flint’s Pond.